Augmented reality is an intuitive and convenient way for displaying information to a user of a mobile device. Examples of mobile devices include a personal display assistant (“PDA”), a cellular phone, a portable digital music player, a laptop computer, or other mobile device. In general, augmented reality is a method of displaying both real-world environmental elements layered with computer-generated graphical elements. Using a mobile device, computer-generated information that is relevant to the environment may be displayed alongside or atop the actual environment so as to minimize interrupting an ongoing task or by minimizing the change in context and the amount of attention required from the user.
However, instructing a mobile device to display an augmented reality video or image can be an awkward process. For example, the mobile device may require that the user push a hardware or software button for switching between the standard operating functionality of the mobile device and an augmented reality mode. To complicate the switch, the mobile device may have tiny buttons that may or may not have tactile feedback for entering input. The mobile device may also have other challenging elements, such as requiring the user to open a cover or flip a switch. When the mobile device is being used in an ongoing activity, switching between entering input on the buttons of the mobile device and the augmented reality display mode can be a tiresome, strenuous, and annoying activity.
Although there are some existing arrangements that address switching between the standard functionality of the mobile device and the augmented reality mode, these existing arrangements require the user to locate and activate a software button or physical element to switch between modes. The requirement to press an additional button or screen element creates an interruption between the user's input and the output from the mobile device. Not only is the interruption jarring and not conducive to an ongoing task, but the user interaction of pressing an element itself is a suboptimal method for switching between modes.